What is a Case Study?
Case studies are a common type of assignment in medical, business, and law schools. They prove to be an effective way of learning for students.
Students encounter different forms of cases; some are extremely basic and simple, while others require detailed analysis and research.
This type of writing usually requires students to work in groups and answer open-ended questions to find a solution for the issue at hand.
From the definition of a case study, it sounds like you should be prepared to invest some time in order for your paper's findings and conclusions. But with this detailed guide, students will find out how easy writing an informative paper can actually become!
A case study is both exploratory as well as descriptive analysis on what causes problems. It seeks answers by exploring different factors within any given phenomenon or event while also providing insight into their root cause(s).
Now that we've defined its scope let’s get started learning more about writing one yourself.
Purpose Case Study
The purpose of conducting case studies is to explore the theories which can improve society. Social scientists intend to do this by using interventions and exploring whether or not these would benefit their subject's well-being in some way, shape, or form.
Case studies are a good way to explore a theory and see if it can be improved. Of course, it is not always clear whether any changes will have benefits outside of just this one case study, but doing the research helps us learn more about how society works to make better decisions!
Types of Case Study
There are different types of case studies which include: illustrative, explorative, critical instance, and cumulative. The purpose of all of these case studies is to explore the issues while utilizing different means. Some are linear; some are process-oriented, while some are grounded.
Depending on the research method utilized by the researcher, a study could be completed in one day, one month, one year, or even longer. No matter how long it takes, the purpose remains the same, to make society a better place.
- Explanatory - In an Explanatory study, the main focus is explaining a particular phenomenon or question.
- Exploratory - Exploratory is a large-scale research project that proves the need for further investigation.
- Intrinsic - In an intrinsic case study, the focus of the study is the case/subject itself.
- Instrumental - This study takes a deeper look into the insights of an event.
Case Study Format
Given below is the case study outline that you need to follow for a logical flow.
- Title
An engaging title that describes the overall purpose of the study.
- Abstract
A brief executive summary of the study is stated in one-two paragraphs. The abstract should answer the what, when, where, who, and why of your topic. In addition, it is an introduction to the overall study, problem, hypothesis, and findings.
- Introduction
In the introductory paragraph, highlight your reasons for interest in the particular topic. And provide the background information on the research problem and its significance. For example, what you knew about the topic at hand prior to conducting the study, and what did you learn from it?
- Hypothesis
Next, state your hypothesis, how you decided on it, what led to its development, etc.
Make sure that the hypothesis is testable and that you can prove it using evidence.
- Methodology
Here, present the research methodology used to carry out the research and find relevant data.
- Results
Organize the gathered data and present it logically so the reader can conclude.
- Analysis
Provide an explanation of the results and findings and how they support your hypothesis.ConclusionsEnd with a short description stating what the case study could achieve, was the hypothesis proven, and what did you learn from it?
Also, provide some recommendations for further work and improvement.
- References
Cite all the sources used to gather information.
- Acknowledgments
Thank those who helped carry out the study.
- Appendix
Add any extra information related to the case study, such as graphs.
How to Write a Case Study?
In order to write it, one must plan and design beforehand. The author must then figure out methods for collecting information through research. Then conduct analysis, research the case history and finally present their findings. It seems straight-forward enough; however, it is more complicated than it first appears.
The following goes into more detail about writing this type of academic paper with case study approaches.
1. Case Study Research
Before you start writing a good case study, it is necessary to construct an effective research methodology.
Doing so will help you decide how the data will be gathered and how you will answer the research question. You must have credible sources of data to conduct your research.
To figure out the best research strategy and compose the data collected, try answering these questions:
- What issue or research question is this study going to address?
- Who is the target audience of this study?
- What type of study will this be?
- Who or what do you want to study. A person or an organization.
- The time period you want to study. Current state or the changes that have happened over time.
- Where is the issue taking place?
There are two different types of case study research methods (qualitative and quantitative) that you can follow according to the type of case study you are going for.
You can learn about these types from this article on qualitative vs. quantitative research methodology.
2. Identify the Key Problems
Case studies are problem-oriented, but they should also define a solution to such a problem. One of the most important steps of writing is to explain the problem. The researchers or the students should be very careful about presenting the details of the problem according to content formats.
They should also explain the purpose of the study or the scenario which motivated them to conduct it. Excessive use of social media affects students’ grades and can be used as a key problem for conducting a study.
If multiple challenges or issues are present, separate the more important ones and then state the most significant ones. Then, describe the issue in a few sentences and describe how it affects the overall working of an organization. When you present the key issues, you also need to explain why they occurred?
Remember that you have to address these issues within a real-life context.
3. Description of Solution
Another important step necessary for writing is the description of the solution. The most important purpose of conducting the study is to explore the roots and causes of the problem and then accomplish the proposed solution for it to eradicate the problem from society.
However, if there is no detailed description of the solution, the purpose would not be fulfilled.
4. Case Study Analysis
To write a great case study, a detailed analysis of the results and solutions must be included. Creating your case studies is meant to highlight the reasons and causes of the research problem and are created for the purpose of helping the researchers to derive a solution accordingly.
Make sure to use the brainstorming technique when coming up with solutions.
- First, thoroughly read over your case and think about all of its possible outcomes. This will allow for more ideas in a shorter amount of time than if you only looked at one solution beforehand without exploring every avenue firsthand.
- Secondly, pick out which sounds most interesting. These should be based on what's going on currently or might have been mentioned within it by either side so as not to make any mistakes here!
- Thirdly take some extra care because picking wrong can really kill what was supposed.
The detailed analysis provides an opportunity for the researchers to apply the solution of the problem to the whole society to improve society’s working and recommend further action.
Before writing as a case study, you must also know about its design and methodology. Have a look at these important aspects before you start writing.
Case Study Research Design and Method
The research design and method let you explore specific cases as a means to test a theory or investigate a specific topic.
Grounded theory is a research design that has been used by researchers for decades now. This method aims to understand the context of the study by generating a thesis from the collected data.
The first step in conducting a rigorous study is to decide on the group or individuals you want your research methodology to focus on. This should be done carefully, taking into account things like their age and gender so as not to bias any results found during this process!
- Case Study Design
The design focuses on how the study will be addressed and whether the gathered background information is relevant to the study.
There are no hard and fast rules here, unlike some scientific works, but the main goal is to ensure that your work is brief but comprehensive in order to avoid irrelevant data.
To ensure that you don’t go off-topic, you should write down a list of key points you want to address in your study. Keep referencing back to it by sharing the relevant facts.
- Case Study Methodology
The case study method is simply observing the subject or the person's group. The goal is to find out information that wouldn’t have been possible if the number of individuals under observation was large.
Fields Utilizing a Case Studies as Research Type
In the context of education or psychology, individual case studies are conducted to better understand an individual and his problems. In addition, the researchers seek to find the cause of the issue.
Social and real-life sciences do not work on rigid formulas. As such, researchers have to use empirical research methods to explore what is going on behind closed doors.
They try generalizing their findings across similar groups of people so we can all learn from each other's experiences while also providing solutions that will help us live better lives together!
The success stories of potential customers and their experience with products or services can be used in the formula to analyze a business' successes.
Case Study Examples
Before you start writing your case study, it is good to read existing business case studies. This further clears any ambiguities that you might have regarding the case study format or how to cite a case study.
Here we have added informative case study samples for your help.Case study psychology PDF
We hope that this guide was successful in simplifying and writing multiple case studies for you. And that by now, you are aware of how to do a case study.
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